PROC. EXT. SOC. WASH., VOL. 20, XO. 5, MAY, 1'ils 10.") 



AN EYELESS DRONE HONEYBEE. 



BY JAS. A. XELSON. 



The abnormal drone honeybee (.!/>/* nuilifica L) forming the 

 subject of this paper was received in June, 1914, from Air. Allen 

 Latham of Norwichtown, Connecticut. Mr. Latham staled in 

 the letter accompanying the specimen that this drone was the only 

 one of the kind that he had ever seen. In a recent letter he also 

 states that no other abnormal drones have since been observed by 

 him. 



The general aspect of this drone is most peculiar. It is normal 

 in size, and the thorax, abdomen, wings, legs, etc., arc of the normal 

 drone type, the abnormality being confined solely to the head, 

 which lacks the huge compound eyes characteristic of the drone, 

 and is correspondingly reduced in size (fig. 1). The surface of the 

 head is almost completely clothed with long hairs. Those on the 

 lateral surfaces, including genae, are long, silky, and light grey in 

 color (figs. 1 and 2). These correspond to a similar hairy covering 

 found on the posterior surface of the head of a normal drone. 

 The anterior face of the head is also clothed with grey hairs, but 

 these are of a darker shade, two tufts of long hairs being especially 

 conspicuous, each of which is situated laterad and ventrad of the 

 antenna! socket (fig. 2). The vertex of the head is covered with 

 shorter hairs, like those of the front above the antennae. The 

 clypeus and labrum are clothed but sparsely with relatively short 

 hairs, while in the normal drone these parts are invested with a 

 dense felt-like coat. 



The prevailing color of the chitin of the head is a dark brown 

 approaching black, with the exception of the clypeus and certain 

 other restricted areas which are of a lighter shade. Two of these 

 lighter areas are reniform in outline and situated one on each side 

 of the occipital foramen, and occupy a considerable portion of the 

 sides of the head (fig. 1). These areas are readily identified with 

 similar areas in the normal drone, but in the latter they are situ- 

 ated on the posterior surface of the head and can only be seen by 

 removing the latter from the thorax. Two other and smaller 

 light areas are found on each side at the base of the mandible-. 



The clypeus and labrum stand out in sharp contrast to the 

 remainder of the head by reason of their almost entire lack of pig- 

 ment (fig. 2). In the normal drone the chitin of these parts is 

 lighter than that of the remainder of the front, but not nearly so 

 light as in the abnormal specimen. 



The ocelli, as shown in figures 1 and 2 are situated on the vertex 

 of the head, as in worker and queen bees. The median ocellus 

 is oval in outline, instead of circular, as in the normal drone, its 

 larger diameter being transverse, and measures about 0.11 \ mm.. 



